The Holy Fire descended in Jerusalem – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

At 14:50 Moscow time in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy Fire descended. Kommersant correspondent Pavel Korobov was among the first to know about it. This year, the Israeli police have significantly limited the number of believers who were able to take part in the ceremony of convergence of fire. According to the explanation of the authorities, this was done as part of increased security measures. However, the restrictions did not overshadow the Easter joy of the Orthodox, although they caused misunderstanding among some.

Among the pilgrims who managed to get to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was a delegation from the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation. It is she who, according to the already established tradition, will deliver the fire to Moscow’s Vnukovo 3 airport at night, and from there it will be brought to the Easter service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where it will be handed over to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.

Every year for many centuries on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, the convergence of the Holy Fire takes place. The earliest evidence of the emergence of the Holy Fire in the Holy Land appeared in the 4th century in the works of the Holy Fathers. However, information about the convergence of fire as a miracle refers only to the 9th century. Tens of thousands of Orthodox pilgrims come to Jerusalem to witness this miracle. Orthodox believe that everything happens only through the prayer of the Jerusalem Patriarch.

For 20 years now, a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, headed by the head of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Vladimir Yakunin, has been coming from Russia to bring fire with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, when restrictions were imposed on international flights and border crossings, representatives of the foundation flew to Israel to pick up the fire – then, in 2020, they waited for the fire to converge, sitting on the plane, without leaving it. After the convergence of the fire, he was brought on board the aircraft by Russian diplomats. This year, due to the difficult international situation, representatives of the fund specifically asked the members of the delegation to be careful and not succumb to various kinds of provocations.

Only persons with special passes could enter the territory of ancient Jerusalem today. I must say that this year the Israeli authorities, referring to the need to strengthen security measures, significantly limited the access of pilgrims to the temple for the ceremony of convergence of fire. Instead of 10 thousand people, only 1.8 thousand people were allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This caused discontent among the representatives of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and the Armenian Church.

The temple inside was divided into sectors, each delegation occupied a certain sector, so pilgrims from different countries did not intersect. After the believers took their places in the temple, the ceremony of sealing Kuvuklia with wax began – a reminder of how the Holy Sepulcher was sealed at the direction of Pilate after the burial of Christ. Then, according to an established tradition, Orthodox Arab youth burst into the temple. Young people beat drums and shouted appeals to the Mother of God and to the Lord so that the Holy Fire would be given.

After that, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem appeared in the temple, who, together with the clergy, went to Kuvuklia – a small (6 x 8 m) domed chapel made of yellow-pink marble in the center of the Rotunda of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, containing the Holy Sepulcher. According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ was buried in this place after the crucifixion and on the third day Jesus Christ was resurrected. Having bypassed Kuvukliya three times in procession, the patriarch stopped in front of the entrance to it. They took off his vestments, and the police officers searched him to make sure that the patriarch did not have any items with which to extract fire – matches, lighters. After that, the patriarch was allowed to enter Cuvuklia. Shortly before that, a lampada was brought there, in which a fire should flare up, and a bunch of candles, consisting – according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life – of 33 candles.

As soon as the patriarch entered Cuvuklia, the lights were turned off in the church, the faithful began to pray for the descent of the Holy Fire and shout: “Christ is Risen!” At 14:50 Moscow time, the Holy Fire descended on the Holy Sepulcher. To the jubilant cries of the faithful, Patriarch Theophilos III came out of Kuvuklia with lit candles and began to distribute fire to the pilgrims. Bells rang, the temple was instantly filled with light and smoke from the candles that people held in their hands. Believers congratulated each other on the holiday.

Having received a particle of fire from the patriarch, the Russian delegation went to the airport to deliver the fire to Moscow by a special Gazprom Avia flight. By about 00.30-1.00 at night, a special cortege will deliver the Holy Fire to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the main Easter service will be held, and the fire will traditionally be handed over to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.

Pavel Korobov, Jerusalem